Threadless coupling



f. Nov. 26, 1929.

J. w. HOLEY THMEADLESS` coUPLING Fild Sept. 5, 1928 Patented n Nov. 26,l1929 UNITED STATES JOHN-W. JHOOLEY, OF LARCHMONT, NEW YORK A TnREAnLEsscoUPLING Application Jed September This invention relates to means forconnecting cylindrical articles such as pipes, conduits -or rods, eitherby coupling them together end to lend or to other objects, and

the invention "has particular reference to means for effecting a tightjoint without providing the pipes, conduits or rods with any screwthreads. For the sake of brevity and l not for limitation, thethreadless cylindrical '10 articles will be hereinafter referred to asconduits because the invention is especially useful in connection wththe installation of electric wires. j

It is frequently desirable,.especially in the installation of conduitsfor electric wiring, to mount or secure the conduits -in positionwithout requiring that any rotative or longitudinal movement shall beimparted to them when the are joined to other conduits or to otherttings. Therefore one of the objects of the present invention is toprovide an imprdved couplino' which effects a secure grip on a conduitwhlch is externally smooth or has no screw threads, the joining ltoanother conduit or to some fitting being ef- 4fected without impartingany movement to the conduit itself after locating it inthe positionwhich it is to occupy.

Another object is .to providea threadless 3o joint or coupling which issimple, positive in its action, and very economical in manufacture.

Another object is to provide aA joint. or coupling the members of whichwill remain in proper assembled relationship, ready for use Wheny wantedfor installation, and yet without having any threaded connections tohold. them together, or requiring any packaging. I

With the above objects in View, the invention consists in theconstruction and combination of parts substantially as hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional viewof one form of my improved joint or coupling.

Figure Zrepresents a section on line 2 2 of Figure 1.

liigures 3, 4 and are longitudinal sec- 5, 1928. SeraLN'o. 304,038.

tional views illustrating the invention as applied to some of the otheruses to which it may be applied.

Similar reference characters designate similar parts or features in allof the views.

' preferably cylindrical in form except for a longitudinal recess 13 forthe strip 14 here! inafter referred to as the key. Said key ispreferably, but not necessarily for all purposes, of hard metal, and sofits the recess 13 as to'remain there when inserted. In the specificembodiment illustrated, the key has ,laterally projecting teeth orridges 15 (Fig. 2) which so engage the walls of the recess 13 that thekey will remain in the recess when the coupling is stored or is beinghandled preparatory to installation. Preferably the lit of the key inthe recess is so close or tight that some pressure is required to forceit to place when the sleeve and key'are first asj sembled.

' In the upper surface of the key 14 are shallow recesses 16 to provideconvenient seats for the ends of screws 17which project through threadedholes in the sleeve and therefore prevent relative longitudinalmovement'of the sleeve and key when the coupling is in use. The innersurface of the key is formed to firmly engage the surfaces of theconduits a, and to this end the key is preferably of hard metal and itsinner or under surface is toothed as at 18 to bite into the conduit.

When installation is to be effected, the conduits a, a, are simplyfitted end to end in the sleeve and the screws 17 are actuated to forcethe keyl 14 inwardly until its inner surface so binds against theconduits as to prevent them from parting. Ofcourse if occasion orparticular use requires it, a suitable washer or other packing can beemployed between the abutting ends ofthe conduits'.

Owingl to thev fact that the ends of the coupling are exposed to View,it will be osling as connecting a conduit a to a wall member which,insaid ligure, is the wall b of an -outlet box b. For this purpose atubular bushing c iseniployed, extending through a hole in the wall band having a flange c at its inner end. When the coupling with itsbushing c and the conduit are assembled with the wall b,the flange/candthe inner end of the coupling sleeve are'caused` to so engage i tendsbeyond the end of the bushing so that.

oppositesurfaces of the Wall around the hole therein as to firmly gripsaid wall. In this embodiment of the invention, the bushing isconduit-shaped" and of substantially the same diameter as the conduit a,and is practically a part of the coupling since it serves, with theother members, to connect the conduit a with the wall b. Of vcourse thekey 14 exthe one key binds both the bushing and the conduit. l

Figure 4 illustrates a modified form .of-

coupling for joining two conduits a, a, one 4of which is larger thanthel other. Therefore the sleeve 12 is also larger' at one end than atthe other end, and a key 14 is located inaI recess in each portion ofthe sleeve and each key is forced into biting or binding engagement witha conduit by a screw 17. With this form it is desirable to employ aguard or protector 19 on the end of the smaller conduit so thatwires'passing will not be cut or Worn by the more or less sharp angle atthe end. of said conduit. With the form shown in Figure 4, the couplingcan be shifted along relatively l to the length of the smaller conduit,and

caused to grip said conduit if conditions of installation call for suchadjustment, in which case the smaller conduit will'project` more or lessinto the larger conduit.

Figure 5 illustrates two conduits a, a,

form of the invention illustrated may have a plurality of recesses indiferentlocations of its interior, with a binding key in each of saidrecesses.

Having now described my invention, I

claim y,

1. A conduit coupling comprising a sleeve having a recess in'its innersurface, and a conduit-locking key mounted in said recess f and bodilymovable therein, the said recess and key being of relative formations tointerengage to retain the key in the recess when the coupling is not inuse.

2. A conduit-coupling comprising asleeve havin a recess in its innersurface and longitudina 1y thereof, a key member .mounted in said recessand freely movable therein,said

toothed inner surface and provided with side ridges engaging the wallsof said recess, and means for forcing said ke'y member inwardly.

3. A coupling for uniting va conduit with' an apertured portion ofawall, comprising a conduit-shaped bushing having a flange to `engage theinner surface of such wall around its aperture, a sleeve having alongitudinally extendin recess -in its inner sur ace, a key member odilymovable in said recess, said ysleeve and key member being roportioned to.engage the outside of said ushing and to extend beyond the end thereof,and means for forcing said key member into gripping' nature.

JOHN W. HOOLEY.

coupled to opposite wall portions of as ecial l junction fitting d, saidwall-portionsv eing formed with extensions 120 which are similar to, andpossess the lsame functions as, `the sleeve 12 of the other Figures.'

Each embodiment of the invention illus-` trated includes a key membercarried by fa'.

1 sleeve member and is provided with means,`

such as screws, by which the inner surface of the key member is causedlto 'grip the surface of a conduit extending into the sleeve member.

I do not sin le key member which acts on a conduit in ut one locationthereof as illustrated by Figure 2. 1 Obviously, and withoutnecessitating illustration, the sleeve member of veither I limit myselfto employing but a l' "key member having ak straight transverselyT

